Meet Harvey Pekar, bona fide American original. Cleveland native, V.A. hospital file clerk, and hilariously grumpy observer of life's strange and unpredictable pageant. Now, filmmakers Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini bring Pekar's story -- in multiple senses of the word -- to the screen in their first narrative feature, American Splendor, the true saga of a working-class Everyman who pursues self-expression without self-censorship -- and finds a grateful audience, critical admiration, and that most remarkable of happy endings, a loving family. The result is a film as inventive as the subject himself -- one that captures Pekar's voice in all its hilarious, truthful, and cantankerous humanity. Chat with Harvey Pekar about the film.

New York, NY:
First, let me wish you well and hope you and your family are doing OK. Secondly, as a longtime fan & reader, I hope you're satisfied with the cinemtic rendition of your life & times. It's the best film I've seen in a long time. My question: Can we excpect a full length comic about the making of the film sometime in the near future? And how about doing some comics on legendary, but overlooked jazz men & women? That's 2 questions, forgive me.

Harvey Pekar:
I'd like to do a full length comic about the making of the film.I've done some shorter pieces about it already. As far as neglected jazz figures: I actually did a book called "Music Comics", in which I had stories about underrated jazz and other musicians. It may come out in an expanded version, but that's up to my publisher, not me.Phoenix, AZ:
I've loved your writing for a long time; have you ever considered writing something about your life that was not in comic book form ?

Harvey Pekar:
I do that, but people don't notice! I wrote some autobiographical features about the making of the movie, but they were mostly in local free weeklies.washington dc:
how do you feel about alternative comics nowadays?

Harvey Pekar:
I'm disappointed that so few of them are being published. There are some that are good, and some I'm not so crazy about. I think comic books are not very good throughout the industry right now.Cleveland, OH:
As a (almost) lifelong resident of Cleveland I think your comics and certainly this film portray the city honestly, but also very fondly. Almost as if Cleveland is another character in your story. Recently, the Plain Dealer published a piece that quoted several city and county officials as saying that your work paints the city in a bad light and works to undermine their efforts to change Cleveland's rust belt image. How do you respond to that criticism? It seems to me if these same "leaders" had actually seen the film, they would see a Cleveland portrayed as tough, but quirky and inviting. The type of place that could attract the "creative class" they so desperately want.

Harvey Pekar:
I don't take that very seriously. What they were talking about was a New York Times cartoon Op Ed I did about Cleveland. I did mention Cleveland had gone downhill in certain ways (population decrease, for example). But I started out saying don't laugh at Cleveland, and said people who laugh at cities like it which once produced so much of the nation's wealth are laughing at their own risk. Everyone knows it's a rust belt city! I can't make it out to be a shining city on a hill just for the benefit of some politician. I noticed that in the Plain Dealer in the Letters column and the e-mail responses that most of the people were behind me.I was not disrespectful of Cleveland.New York, NY:
I loved the film and the soundtrack. Can you recommend some additional albums by the artists featured on the American Splendor CD? I understand you're an expert on the genre. Thanks.

Harvey Pekar:
I chose two tunes, one by Joe MIneri and "Ain't that peculiar" by Marvin Gaye. If you're a moderate fan of his I'd suggest you get it on a collection of his greatest hits. Jay McShan? I'd suggest getting his second recording with Charlie Parker.Mesquite, Texas:
Do you still keep up with Robert Crumb? I hear that he's moved off to France.

Harvey Pekar:
I just spoke to him a couple of days ago. He's still in France.cleveland, ohia:
harvey, did you have any input on the casting of the movie?

Harvey Pekar:
No. They didn't ask and I didn't tell. I just was not part of that process, but I was very happy with the way the movie was cast.Vancouver, Canada:
Why was the last of the Letterman scenes not the original, like the others? Did they refuse to give you permission to show it?

Harvey Pekar:
Yes. Also, the directors tell me that there was so much shouting going on during the portion that wasn't shown that people would have had a hard time making sense of it, so even if we had gotten permission we'd have had to redramatize it.long beach, ca:
it seems like the tone and subject matter for your comics started from documenting mundane (almost anonymous) life. what did you think of all the celebrity when your work won acclaim? did you worry the public attention would change you?

Harvey Pekar:
I don't worry about that, because I'm too old. What I'm really worried about is how I'm going to get through these last few years of my life. The movie could make 50 million but I get no cut of that. I'm just hoping I can get some freelance writing jobs out of the thing, that's all.Vancouver, BC:
Now that you're retired, do you find it more difficult to find material for your writing since a lot of your past inspiration came from your filing clerk job?

Harvey Pekar:
No. I was just making a list of things I'm going to write about now. As long as I can meet people I can find material for my writing.Toronto, Ontario:
Would you say you have had a "banal life"? I don't think too many people who have appeared on Letterman and become a 'cult hero' would describe their lives as banal. Did you have to work at staying 'ordinary'?

Harvey Pekar:
I don't know if banal would be the way to describe my life. In some respects I've led a pretty normal life. From 17 to 62 I worked a 40-hour a week job, 5 days 8 hours a day. I've had some things happen to me, like being on Letterman, that haven't happened to others, but mostly it's been a routine existence, and I've been ok with it. I liked people at work, for example, even if the work wasn't interesting.bronx, new york:
curmudgeon, cantankerous, grumpy have all been words used to describe you. What words would you use to describe yourself if those aren't accurate?

Harvey Pekar:
I'm obsessive. I tend to be depressed. I don't think I'm aggressive enough to be cantankerous or a curmudgeon. I don't go out of my way to try and hurt people's feelings.:
How come Robert Crumb did not appear as himself in the movie like the other characters? Was he unavailable or unwilling?

Harvey Pekar:
Robert Crumb probably wouldn't want to. He hated a lot of aspects of the documentary Terry Zwigoff did of him and even went around wearing disguises. I don't think there was any chance Crumb would appear in the movie, although he was interested in seeing it. I was just on the phone with him a few days ago after not speaking to him for months and months. He asked if I could get him a copy of it.